Player Focus: Tom Carroll's Importance In QPR's Promotion Push

With Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 down to Wigan Athletic last season, André Villas-Boas opted to replace Kyle Walker with the relatively inexperienced Tom Carroll, despite the more attack-minded Iago Falqué being an option from the bench. As Spurs chased the equaliser, many were left perplexed why a deep-lying playmaker was introduced, rather than the Spaniard.

Yet, his ability to pick out a teammate, and quickly, added to the fluidity of the Spurs' attack and while the north London outfit succumbed to defeat; Carroll had impressed the fans. Many expected the 21-year-old to appear more regularly on the back of his cameo appearance, but after 7 substitute appearances in the league and the acquisitions Paulinho and Etienne Capoue in the summer, Carroll was shipped to Championship outfit QPR on loan.

Working again under the watchful eye of Harry Redknapp, the manager who handed the midfielder his debut while in charge of Spurs, the youngster has been offered the opportunity to showcase his talents at Loftus Road. While Carroll has seen his impact hampered by injury, in the 6 games he has played he’s performed admirably in the QPR midfield.

This is best noted in the fact that when the on loan midfielder has started, the R’s have won 5 and drawn 1. That record of 16 points from a possible 18 means QPR average 2.7 points per game with Carroll in the starting XI. That figure drops to 1.8 points per game, with the west London outfit claiming only 23 points from a possible 39 in 13 league matches without him.

The midfielder may not have scored or registered an assist in England’s second tier this term, but evidently Carroll has established himself as a pivotal member in the QPR team despite his spell on the sidelines in October and November. His average WhoScored rating of 7.35 is bettered only by Clint Hill, Joey Barton (both 7.52) and Nedum Onuoha (7.46) of every QPR player and reinforces his importance to Redknapp’s side.

This is mirrored in the Hoops' average team rating of 7.11 with Carroll in the team compared to 6.82 without him. While the player isn’t necessarily providing the killer through ball or the goalscoring touch at QPR, Carroll’s involvement in the build-up play benefits his teammates significantly, such is his ability to retain and recycle possession.

Only Karl Henry (90.5%) and Jermaine Jenas (86.9%) boast a better pass success than Carroll (86.1%) of every QPR regular this term, although the youngster is attempting the most passes per game (78) of all players in the R’s squad. This has largely contributed to the superior number of passes QPR have attempted with Carroll starting (534.5) than without him (460.6). Evidently, the team looks to move the ball around more regularly when the midfielder plays and he’s averaging an accurate pass every 1 minute and 19 seconds, the best return of every Championship player to have made at least 5 appearances this term.

Justifiably, this has attributed to a WhoScored strength of ‘passing’ as Carroll consistently picks out a QPR player with minimal ease. His lack of goals and assists could be concerning, but there are those who believe this style of play is that of a modern day midfielder, where the player in question operates as a deep-lying playmaker, providing the pass that leads to the assist for a goal.

In that respect, Carroll is performing admirably in his role within the team, evidenced in his average of 33.8 accurate forward zone passes this season. The 21-year old is willing to continuously shift the ball when in the oppositions half, while his average of 17 successful final third passes, the most of every QPR player, denotes a confidence in his ability to probe the defence and pick out an R’s player when in attacking situations.

More pertinently, QPR as a team are averaging fewer accurate forward zone passes (184.6) and successful final third passes (89.5) without the player in the team than with him (200.8 and 94.5, respectively). Unsurprisingly, Redknapp’s side lacks the attacking cohesion that Carroll brings to the starting XI, as witnessed by the drop in points per game in his absence.

Yet, it wasn’t just Carroll's offensive contribution that the R’s missed during his time on the sidelines. Often underrated, perhaps as a result of his slight stature, is the defensive aspect of his game, with a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘tackling’.

The youngster currently averages 3.8 tackles per game, the most of every QPR player, and his ability to break up play means the club are yet to concede in the 6 games he’s played compared to an average of 0.77 per game in the 13 he hasn’t. Moreover, QPR won possession more times in the midfield third per game when Carroll was available (21.2) than when he was ruled out (15.9) hinting as to why they conceded more goals when the midfielder wasn’t on the pitch.

While teammate Joey Barton (3.2) has won possession more times in the middle of the park per league encounter than Carroll (2.8), QPR’s defensive solidity clearly improves when the latter is on the pitch. Furthermore, his presence in play has proven to benefit the charismatic 31-year-old, with Barton’s average WhoScored rating rising to a notable 7.94 when alongside Carroll, while that figure dropped to 7.32 over the period the 21-year old was unavailable.

Undoubtedly, Carroll’s influence for QPR is more than some give him credit for. He won’t necessarily score the goals to fire them back to the Premier League, or provide the assist for the attack-minded performers in the team, but the youngster has showcased his talents to the watching world with a series of displays way beyond his years.

His outings, as rare as they have been, have contributed substantially to the R’s current position in the Championship, while parent club Spurs must be suitably impressed by his outings thus far. Should he be able to continue this form between now and the end of the season, there is no reason why Carroll can't play a crucial role in QPR's quest to return to England’s top tier.

How pivotal a role do you think Tom Carroll can play in QPR's to return to the Premier League? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below